CIEPSM NO. 25 - US POLICY ON THE EXPORT OF COMPUTERS TO COMMUNIST COUNTRIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP76B00734R000200210002-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 27, 2004
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 14, 1973
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2004 - - .
I3.n/S&T 3.5 88-73
T
14 November 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: I
Special Assistant for NSC and USIB
Affairs, O/DDI
SUBJECT CIEPSM No. 25 - US Policy on the Export
of Computers to Communist Countries
The appropriate components of OER have reviewed
CIEPSM No. 25 in draft and recommend that the suggestions
given below be adopted. The comments of OSR and DD/S&T
also are attached.
Part I
Introductions, Options, and Recommendations
1. Page 10, Paragraph 2;
The sentence beginning with "Apparently, improving
the national telecommunications . . ." should be eliminated. .25X1
There is no convincing evidence that the Chinese are pre-
pared to replace their predominantly "step-by-step" switch- 25,
ing system with an electronic switching system.
2. Page 21, Option 8, Paragraph 2. last sentence: ,
The implication is that because the Chinese com-
puter industry is not centralized.like the Soviet Union's
industry, China will not be able to rapidly exploit Western
computer technology or equipment to support military pro.
grams. A more likely reason for a slower rate of exploitation
by the Chinese would be the relatively lower-level of tech--
nology currently employed by their military programs,.
An additional problem is the explicit statement
that the computer industry of.the Soviet Union is centralized.
ILLEGIB
Approve
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Approved For Release
On the contrary, computer production and R & D in the USSR,
is spread over various ministries and administrative organs,
and the lack of effective central direction is a major
factor hampering progress.
Part II
Supporting Material
1. Page 31, Paragraph 2:
This paragraph is too strongly worded. There is
no evidence that military computer production is more
effective than the commercial effort. In fact, most know
military computer applications involve standard Soviet
commercial machines. In addition, we do not know Soviet
military computer requirements and, therefore, cannot say
to what degree these have been satisfied.
2. Page 32, Paragraph 3, last sentence:
The implication is that the Soviets are producing,
in series, disc units of the IBM-2311 and 2314 types.
Although prototypes of these units have been shown, there
is no evidence that the Soviets are delivering signifi-
cant quantities of drives either for RYAD machines or for
other native models. In fact, the USSR has imported
Western drives and packs for connection to installed RYAD 25X1
computers.
4. Page 58, Paragraph 4, last sentence:
Remove the word "strong." There is no evidence to
support this.
5. Page 59, Paragraph 2, sentence 1:
Model 111 is no longer the most powerful computer
built by the Chinese. A new large-scale digital computer
(model number unknown) announced in August is reportedly 5
times as fast as the 111 and has double the storage capacity.
ILLEGIB
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MEMORANDUM FOR: SA/OER
. ATTENTION:
SUBJECT Coordination of OER Request for Comments on
CIEPSM No. 25 -- U.S. Policy on the Export of
Computers to Communist Countries
1. The subject draft has been reviewed by OSR.
2. This Off ice:
Concurs.
/ / Concurs provided that the revisions as shown
on the attached draft are adopted.
Concurs and offers the comments shown on the
attached draft as suggestions.
/7 Has no comment or objection.
/ Cannot coordinate the subject draft for the
reasons shown.
Draft retained by OSR/SF C.
Planning Staff, OSR
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DD/S&T-3509-73
Dona H. Steininge. .
Associate Deputy Director
for
Science and Technology
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director, Office of Economic Research
SUBJECT: Comments on.CIEPSM No. 25, U.S. Policy on the
Export of Computers to Communist Countries
REFERENCE: DDI Memorandum dated 2 November 1973, same
subject (DDI-4768/73)
comment.
This Directorate was represented on the working group
that prepared the basic supporting material for the study
(Part II) and contributed the sections on foreign computer
technology. The summary (Part I) reflects accurately the
efforts of the working group, and we have no further
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